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Ashbringer
Ashbringer, Blade of the Scarlet Highlord, is the sword of former Highlord Mograine of the Scarlet Crusade. The blade was named after Mograine and his uncanny ability to smite the undead to nothing but a flurry of ash. Mograine was betrayed and murdered by his son, Renault, with the sword. Recently it has been discovered that Mograine was reincarnated as a Death Knight by the lich Kel'Thuzad, and he still possesses Ashbringer, although it has been defiled by his murder and transformed into . Ashbringer is one of the most hyped and lore-rich items thus far in the World of Warcraft, but is not yet obtainable by players. The known item statistics are almost certain to change when it is eventually introduced. History During the Battle of Blackrock Spire in the Second War, Highlord (then Commander) Mograine of the Silver Hand claimed a mysterious dark crystal from a dead orc lieutenant. The crystal was supposedly the "living embodiment of shadow," and originated from Draenor. When the first whispers of the Scourge reached Lordaeron, Commander Mograine revealed the crystal to his most trusted associates of the Silver Hand, and suggested that they search for the crystal's polar opposite - a manifestation of The Light itself - to be used against the impending undead holocaust. Mograine's peers, appalled the sight of the crystal, attempted to destroy it with a holy spell. Unexpectedly, the crystal absorbed the spell cast upon it and became its own antithesis - the very crystal of pure light that Mograine suggested. It was decided that from this crystal a weapon would be forged that would smite the undead with such power that only a cloud of ash would remain in its wake-- the Ashbringer. Once the Silver Hand was dissolved following Arthas' betrayal, the remaining leaders formed the Scarlet Crusade. Mograine was appointed to the head position of Highlord, and Ashbringer became the most lethal weapon in the arsenal of the Crusade - so much so that it quickly garnered the attention of the lich Kel'Thuzad. Balnazzar, in the newly possessed body of Grand Crusader Saiden Dathrohan, began to plant seeds of corruption within the Crusade so that he could gain complete control and use it as a machine against the Scourge and rectify the Burning Legion's failure to defeat the Lich King. He struck a deal with Kel'Thuzad to eliminate Mograine: the bane of the Scourge would be destroyed, and Balnazzar's reign would go unchecked without the Highlord. Balnazzar corrupted Mograine's son, Renault, and made plans to set a trap for the Highlord. Renault led his father and High Inquisitor Fairbanks to Stratholme, where legions of the Scourge were waiting for him. Renault fled and hid while the undead ignored Fairbanks, although he became trapped under a pile of corpses. Mograine alone smote thousands of the undead with ease, but was eventually wearied and dropped his blade in fatigue. Renault came out hiding to exploit his father's vulnerable state. He took up Ashbringer and slew the Highlord, an act which defiled the blade itself. Unable to wield the corrupted sword, he left it with his father's body, and reported to the Crusade that it had been lost. Renault's betrayal was witnessed only by the unseen Fairbanks, who could only listen in horror as Renault murdered his father. Fairbanks remained there until he regained enough strength to leave the besieged city. He fled to the Scarlet Monastery where he told of Renault's actions to anyone who would listen. Those who believed broke away from the Crusade and formed the Argent Dawn. However, many refused to believe him and killed him for speaking such blasphemy, in addition to possibly showing symptoms of the Plague. His body was discarded in a secret chamber in the Scarlet Cathedral. Meanwhile, Kel'Thuzad resurrected Mograine as one of his Death Knights and reclaimed his corrupted blade. Since then Mograine has resided in Naxxramas, driven mad by his corruption. Taelan Fordring has succeeded him as Highlord. Renault has risen in rank to Scarlet Commander of the Scarlet Monastery, and Balnazzar gained authority over the Scarlet Crusade and began to corrupt it further into the zealous faction it is today. Followers of the Crusade believe that the "chosen one" who finds Ashbringer will be the harbinger of the Crusade's triumph. In World of Warcraft Although Ashbringer has been in the game files and subject to intense speculation since release, it is not currently known to be acquirable on public realms. The rumors regarding an acquirable Ashbringer persisted until a French CM admitted that it is not currently in-game. Eyonix soon confirmed on the US forums on February 24, 2006: The caster legendary being referred to is , which was added in Patch 1.12; this may mean that the Ashbringer quest line will be continued soon. Furthermore, Ashbringer was brought up during a developers chat: The stats of Ashbringer found in the game files will be updated before the sword is made available on live servers. Quotes Several NPC's allude to the existence of the Ashbringer, resulting in false rumors that the Ashbringer can be acquired by players: *Alexia Ironknife: Greetings. Don't have too much time to talk -- I'm just using Chillwind as a camp to get some rest before heading to Hearthglen. I've heard word that before they went crazy, the Scarlet Crusade had a mage working for them who was trying to create powerful bows and guns for their soldiers. I'm not sure if he succeeded or not ... the Crusade killed him before any of his finished product made it out. Maybe they killed him to keep it a secret ... or maybe they distrust the arcane that much. *Bardu Sharpeye: Hello. I've set up camp here at the Bulwark to make my preparations for my journey into the Plaguelands. I've heard rumor that a great human wizard took up residency in Hearthglen not terribly long ago. He was commissioned by the Scarlet Crusade to fashion their warriors and hunters with bows and guns. It's said that he completed a remarkable weapon before the Crusade killed him. I guess their mistrust of the arcane has grown. *Caretaker Alen: The what-bringer? Oh, ASHbringer? Never heard of it ... What? Stop bothering me! *Shen'dralar Zealot: The Master holds great interest in the Lair of Nefarian. If only someone would defeat the dragon and his minions and retell the tale to the Prince. I bet that would loosen the Prince's lips. The Ashbringer could be found! *Shen'dralar Zealot: Has the Prince recanted the tale of the Ashbringer? It is our most favorite of his stories. His favorite is the follow up to the Ashbringer. Of course, nobody has ever been able to get that story out of him. *Narain Soothfancy: Don't tell me! Shhh! You are here about the Ashbringer?!? Yes ... Yes ... No! My bad. What can I help you with, (race)? * : ... and so that's where you'll find the legendary sword of the Scarlet Highlord, Ashbringer. Ain't it amazing, what you run into in an ordinary day of fishin'? *Commander Eligor Dawnbringer: The Ashbringer is dead and there will never be another like him. The lesser Mograine is a far cry from the man his father was. You know this, Commander! It was, after all, your own leadership that was responsible for the death of the Scarlet Highlord Mograine. '' ''It was your leadership that manipulated a grieving child to try to recover the sword. A child that has grown into a man with nothing but vengeance and hatred in his heart! And for what? You are no closer to the sword now than you were five years ago. ''Yet you think that recovering Ashbringer will somehow turn the tide of battle? Let me let you in on a little secret, Commander. The power of the Ashbringer came from the man who would wield it... I was there, Commander. I watched him burn legions of undead in righteous fire before he would even unsheath the blade. Alas, your grasp on history is... lacking. Now be silent and note where you are, lest I inform Lord Fordring and his knights that you are no longer here on amicable terms. I am certain he would take great pleasure in seeing to your 'atonement.' These quotes imply that Nat Pagle and Prince Tortheldrin know the location of Ashbringer, and are even willing to tell the player; however, they have never shared their knowledge. Corrupted Ashbringer ]] Players meet the resurrected Highlord Mograine in Naxxramas in the Four Horsemen encounter. Mograine is seen as a Death Knight wielding . Corrupted Ashbringer may be looted from the Horsemens' cache. Upon wielding the blade, the player becomes friendly with the Scarlet Crusade (although it does not appear in the reputations window) and hated with the Argent Dawn. A scripted event can be triggered upon entering the Cathedral in the Scarlet Monastery. Unexpectedly, Highlord Mograine's ghost appears in full Dreadnaught, revives High Inquisitor Fairbanks and smites his son (Renault, the Scarlet Commander) for his sins. Fairbanks proceeds to tell the story of Renault's betrayal and that the Corrupted Ashbringer is beyond redeeming. However, Mograine has another son who resides in Outland and has the ability to forge a new Ashbringer. Fairbanks does not give any quests. Rumors and speculation Future quest It is likely that Ashbringer will be the next obtainable legendary weapon after , based on High Inquisitor Fairbanks' instructions to find the other Mograine in Outland, the fact that the crystal from which the original Ashbringer was crafted originated from Draenor, and Eyonix's comments about a caster legendary preceding Ashbringer. Identity of Mograine's second son Thus far, Mograine's other son has not been found, and even his precise identity remains unknown. Fairbanks' comments imply that he was a member of the Alliance Expedition during the Second War. It is likely he knows nothing of the Ashbringer, or his role to play in reforging it, considering his father did not create it until the Third War, and there has been no communication between Azeroth and Outland since the Dark Portal was closed at the end of the Second War. Fan speculation has pointed to at least three possible candidates for Mograine's lost son: *Khadgar: Beyond his apprenticeship to Medivh and his involvement in the invasion of Draenor, his background is unknown. *Turalyon: Also with little known history, other than the fact that he was Anduin Lothar's lieutenant and later the Expedition's High General. His only known possible connection to Ashbringer is the fact that he is a paladin. His current whereabouts are unknown, although he is scheduled to appear in World of Warcraft eventually. *David Wayne: He is the most popular candidate for Mograine's son, due to the fact that he is a weaponsmith and makes reference to leaving the Alliance Expedition because he believes he is meant to be part of "something larger." It is also possible that he is not a character of lore at all, and may be just another common soldier in the Alliance Expedition. However, judging by the fact that he has not been located, it is believed that the other son of Mograine is a prisoner of Illidan and is being held in the dungeon which supposedly exists beneath the Black Temple in Shadowmoon Valley. The crystal The crystal from which the original Ashbringer was created is likely related to the naaru, and may in fact be a naaru. The naaru life cycle is one of reincarnation. Upon death, naaru are transformed into corpses of dark voids -- the opposite of a living naaru. They will persist in this state until they either slowly regenerate their powers from The Light over many years, or are subjected to a powerful holy spell, after which they will be resurrected into their living form again. The crystal shown by Highlord Mograine in Old Hillsbrad demonstrates similar properties: a holy spell was cast on the dark crystal and it became a crystal of light. Furthermore, the crystal was described as a living embodiment, suggesting that it was alive, or was a fragment of a living thing -- possibly a deceased naaru. Mograine also states that the crystal is from Draenor. The naaru had not yet arrived on Draenor via Tempest Keep before the Second War, leaving only a few naaru as the possible source of the crystal -- K'ure, who resides in Oshu'gun, or the deceased naaru D'ore, who was killed in Oshu'gun's crash upon Draenor centuries before, currently interred in Auchindoun. In the quest , D'ore himself tells the player, "Without the void, the Light cannot exist." which are suspiciously similar to the words used by Mograine: "Can good exist without evil? Can there be light without dark?"http://www.blizzplanet.com/content/629 Another similar theory is that the crystal is one of the Ata'mal crystals, each of which grant the wielder a variety of powers. It should be noted, however, that all of the Ata'mal crystals are known to be spherical unlike the Ashbringer crystal. Old questline Ashbringer may have been originally intended to be in the game much earlier. Parts of the quest line can be pieced together. Nat Pagle happened to stumble upon Ashbringer and wrote about it in his book, , of which players only have the last page. The full copy of the book, , can be found in Dire Maul from opening dusty tomes; however, it is not readable. Prince Tortheldrin, being a historian and bibliophile, likely read Pagle's book, learned of the Ashbringer's location, and discarded the book in Dire Maul where the player finds it. The Prince would offer his knowledge to any player who would bring him the Head of Nefarian. It seems that Ashbringer was to be the legendary item associated with Blackwing Lair but was changed to , which requires from Blackwing Lair. This is supported by the fact that Ashbringer's original item ID was changed to host Thunderfury. Additionally, at one time, could be looted from Large Vile Slimes in The Weeping Cavern of Western Plaguelands. Lengthy discussion on the official forums has led to the premature and popular conclusion that Timolain is the name of the mage referred to by Bardu Sharpeye and Alexia Ironknife, and therefore is the crafter of the Ashbringer. The implementation of Ashbringer was likely delayed so that the story could be fleshed out with the addition of Naxxramas. See also * * Highlord Mograine * Renault Mograine * Old Hillsbrad: The Origin of Ashbringer * Scarlet Monastery: Retribution of the Ashbringer Category:Legendary Items Category:Swords